How do our thoughts affect our emotional and physical health?

Our thoughts affect our health in several ways. I will explain some of them in this newsletter and some of them next week.

Thoughts are real things. Thoughts have a biological basis in our brain. Basically, when we are thinking, our neurons carry electrical activities and communicate with each other in our brain. When we have a thought, we have electrical and chemical activities in certain neuronal networks in our brain. We can detect these activities in different brain imaging and EEG (Electroencephalogram).

When the neurons in the emotional centers of the brain are activated then we have certain emotions with our thoughts. We become happy, sad, angry or fearful based on our thoughts and what emotional center has become activated. So, when you have a negative feeling that you want to change pay attention to what you are thinking about. If you can change what you are thinking about you start feeling differently.

Our thoughts make some changes in our brain’s chemistry, physiology and structure. These changes send different signals to the body through the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

The Nervous system

The brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) connect to the body through the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system has two parts:  voluntary and involuntary or autonomic.  Based on the thoughts and emotion the sympathetic or parasympathetic part of the autonomic system will be activated. The sympathetic system is the more wakeful and alert side and parasympathetic is the calmer side. For example, in chronic stress, the sympathetic system is activated most of the time and keeps the body in an alert state that is harmful for the body. You can deliberately activate the parasympathetic system and become calm and relaxed with activities such as deep breathing, silence, walking,  gardening and methods like yoga and meditation.

I will discuss the endocrine system (hormones) and the immune system next week.

You can read more in my book, MIND MEDICINE: Use Your thoughts to Heal.